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terça-feira, 17 de julho de 2012

About disappointments and jams

A little summary of my week.

Sunday I received the news that the event I had been helping organize was not going to happen. Not because of structure or staff problems (stuff we dealt with in the beggining of the planning), but because of lack of interest. The 1º PUC Game Jam, event elaborated exclusively for the students of the course of Digital Games Development was supposed to happen from july 10 to july 13, from 8h00 to 18h00 and the winning team would have the right to represent the course on the national game jam that happens in October during Brasil Game Show. And all the participants would receive a certificate that compensates a good amount of the complementary hours needed to graduate.
Disappointment is the best word to describe what I felt (and still feel when I think about it). I do not blame the ones who had to work or were traveling on the time of the event, certain responsabilities cannot wait, but I reffuse to believe that in a course with almost two hundred students, only six had time to participate. Six. Two teams.

Monday, lots to do, too little time.

Having the PUC Game Jam being canceled I decided to apply my efforts to participate on another event. To the ones who do not know it yet, I present you Ludum Dare, a game development event online that happens every four months. The objective is to create a game on a weekend according to the theme presented on the beginning of the event.
On Twitter I read the news that the Ludum Dare warm up was about to start. Mini Ludum Dare (similar in every aspect, except the duration) challenged the participants to create a game with the theme "contrasts" in only a week.
Using an idea I had written down a few weeks ago I created "Contrast", a game where the player must overcome different obstacles manipulating the environment around him. And that is done switching from light to dark.

But because of a trip I had planned for months I would have to complete the game until friday, challenge I am proud to say I overcame. The only problem was my lack of attention: believing the deadline to submit the game was monday instead of sunday I wasn't able to upload it.
Anyway it was a great experience, proof that, if it had happened, the 1º PUC Game Jam could also have been an amazing experience.

So I raffirm here my disappointment with the sad end of the long planned PUC Game Jam. I just hope that the next opportunities aren't wasted because of simple lack of interest.